Adventures from the cutting board to the board room

Main menu

Bio

Jeffrey Zurofsky has followed his passion for entrepreneurship and the culinary arts throughout his career creating the perfect blend as President and CEO of ’wichcraft.

In 2003, Jeffrey partnered with chefs Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortúzar to co-found ’wichcraft as a sandwich shop where the ingredients and cooking techniques are rooted in fine dining but served in a casual and welcoming environment. Since then Jeffrey has overseen all aspects of the business ’wichcraft, spearheading its expansion to fifteen stores including locations in San Francisco and Las Vegas and employing over four-hundred team members.

More recently, the original partnership opened Riverpark, a fine dining restaurant that was recently awarded 2-stars by the New York Times, as well as the innovative Riverpark Farm, New York’s most urban farm, located adjacent to the restaurant..

Additionally, Jeffrey can also be found on the television screen as Tom’s co-host on BravoTV’s new competition show Best New Restaurant. Where he brings his passion for coaching and advising to a competitive arena, helping new restaurateurs navigate their way through the competition as they focus on the food, service & hospitality aspects of their businesses under pressure.

Prior to the founding of ’wichcraft, Jeffrey worked in some of Manhattan’s most prestigious kitchens including a stage at Lespinasse, Savoy (while enrolled at the French Culinary Institute), Union Square Café, and as opening sous chef at Restaurant AZ. With desire to leave the stove and feed his entrepreneurial passion, Jeffrey took an offer at a tech startup, Bank Pass as Director of Business Development where he developed his interest in business growth. After honing his business acumen, Jeffrey found his way back to his passion at Payard where was Director of Operations and CFO at Francois Payard Patisserie and Bistro.

Jeffrey’s passion as an entrepreneur and love for food started at the age of eight, attempting to replicate in his family’s New Jersey kitchen what he saw master chefs create on classic PBS cooking shows. His mother, a small business owner, encouraged his budding interest in everything culinary and Jeffrey put his self-taught skills to work in professional kitchens while studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He paid his way through school in the area’s best restaurants, and eventually became sous chef at the Mobil 4-star La Residence. Upon graduation, he moved to New York City and where he has been able to feed his desire to develop new and innovative ideas in a fast paced environment.

In addition to Jeffrey’s many job accomplishments, he was recently awarded Outstanding Alumni from The International Culinary Center in 2011. He continues to be committed to numerous civic and philanthropic institutions and has passionately supported entrepreneurial ventures throughout his career.

Jeffrey’s Civic and Philanthropic Engagements include:

Board Member, GrowNYC

Secretary, Local Development Corporation on the Executive Committee, the Union Square Partnership

Member, Manhattan Community Board 5

Member, Steering Committee, Young Patrons of Lincoln Center

Guest Lecture, at NYU School for Continuing Education and The International Culinary Center

Guest Lecture, “City By Design” at SEGD Conference: The Bridge in June 2012